Alex Smith didn't rage or scream or defame his coach. And surely some will find fault with him because of that.

What Smith did instead Thursday was state the truth. The brutal truth about the brutal business that he's in.

"It sucks," Smith said. "I don't know what else to say.

There isn't much else to say. This is not a column stating that Smith is a better quarterback than Colin Kaepernick. Or that Jim Harbaugh does not have the prerogative of picking the player he feels will best win games. This is simply an observation about the human element in a game of statistics and strategy. About a player who has done his best: prepare well, work hard and - over the past two seasons - win games, only to find out that the expected rules don't apply and that the fair play world of sports is not exactly fair.

And Smith knows better than to argue about the hand he's been dealt.

"You state your case with your play," Smith said. "And I feel like I've done that. I feel like the only thing I've done to lose my job is to get a concussion."

It's a cruel fate. If the NFL followed a hero's-journey script, Smith would be rewarded in the end. He would be called on in a time of need - perhaps in the Super Bowl - and lead his team to victory.

That scenario could play out. Or Smith could be stuck holding a clipboard on the sideline, stripped of his job after winning 20 of his last 26 games.

Smith has been through so much in his eight-year career, since the 49ers made him the first overall pick of the 2005 draft. He's been vilified, booed, benched, mocked. He's played through injury - encouraged to by his coach at the time. He's learned seven different playbooks. He learned the seventh so well that he taught it to the rest of the offensive players, including rookie Colin Kaepernick, while the players were locked out.

That's when things changed. After years of incompetent coaches, Smith finally had a terrific coach and an innovative coordinator and he flourished. He went 13-3, had a playoff game for the ages against New Orleans and was one play away from the Super Bowl. He was Jim Harbaugh's "guy" - his reclamation project, his AT&T caddie, his pad-thumping partner.

This season, despite the red flag when Harbaugh considered Peyton Manning, Smith picked up where he left off. He went 6-2 and leads the league in completion percentage, is fifth in the league in quarterback rating. He received a hero's welcome at AT&T Park during the baseball playoffs. In his last full game, Smith completed 18 of 19 passes and was named NFC Offensive Player of the Week for the first time in his career. Against St. Louis he took a brutal hit, but a few plays later threw a touchdown pass.

And then he reported that his vision was blurry. And now he's lost his job.

"It's a bitter pill to swallow, for sure," Smith said.

Smith is clearly frustrated. Disappointed. But not surprised. He could see this coming before he sat down in a meeting room with Harbaugh and Kaepernick and heard the news: He was not going to start at quarterback this week. Left unsaid: He may never start again.

He didn't argue with Harbaugh.

"No, at this point what's talk going to do?" Smith said. "He's not a guy that didn't put thought into it already."

What's shocking is how many people want to blame Smith, criticize his behavior. Why isn't he angrier? Never mind that being angry or ripping Harbaugh would make him look like a selfish jerk when his team is winning. Why does he have his helmet on? Never mind that the helmet allowed him to listen to the play calls and assist Kaepernick. People have blamed Smith for so much over the past eight seasons that there's a knee-jerk reaction to criticize him now.

One of the most heinous things came from Bill Romanowski. Speaking on 95.7 The Game, Romanowski blamed Smith for reporting his injury and implied that because Smith had made so much money he wasn't passionate enough to play injured.

In 2007, Smith's shoulder was injured against Seattle. He missed a few games before Mike Nolan put him back behind center. He struggled. In December, he had surgery to repair his shoulder, which was determined to have a third-degree separation.

Smith, a very smart man, has no regrets about protecting his health. But he did say he doesn't know if players will be less likely to self-report symptoms.

"That's a good question," he said.

The truth is, the incremental progress the NFL made on brain injuries was just dealt a severe blow by Harbaugh. This will have a chilling effect. Harbaugh said he "would never want that message sent to our players." But the message has already been sent.

Smith said he harbors no resentment for his head coach.

"I don't make those decisions," he said. "That's what he gets paid to do. He's the head coach. I play football. So that's what I'm going to continue to do. Continue to get ready and make the most of the next opportunity."

And there might be an opportunity. The 49ers are currently the second seed in the NFC, meaning a first-round bye and home field advantage. They are in no position to lose a game. Smith might be needed.

He'll be the good soldier and teammate. He'll be ready when called. That's who he is. That's who he's always been. And surely some will even find fault with that.

Tittle: Harbaugh faces tough challenge

Friday's edition of the 49ers Insider digital iPad magazine features an interview with Hall of Fame quarterback Y.A. Tittle, who was involved in one of the 49ers' early quarterback controversies, beginning in 1957 when the team drafted John Brodie and culminating in Tittle's trade to the Giants in 1961.

In the interview, Tittle, 86, says the current debate over Colin Kaepernick or Alex Smith will be a test for coach Jim Harbaugh.

"It's a very difficult thing to have a quarterback controversy because players have friends," Tittle said. "Some people like John Brodie. Some people like Y.A. Tittle. They choose sides. It takes a very talented, diplomatic coach to be able to get around that and not to have that happen."

Asked if Harbaugh can be that coach, Tittle said, "I think so. He's always been very successful, every place he's ever been. He'll be up to the challenge."

To read the complete story, download the iPad magazine, which is free for home-delivery subscribers, at bit.ly/Q7x8P8.